A Working Plan to Save the Domes

by

Friends of the Domes board members recently adopted a working plan as a path forward for the long-neglected Mitchell Park Conservatory, owned by Milwaukee County. This blueprint addresses the future of the historic conservatory, known as the Domes, and the park in which it is located.

As a private nonprofit organization, Friends of the Domes has been supporting the popular community attraction since 1989. The group provides educational and enrichment activities, and manages membership and the facility’s gift shop, in partnership with the county.

Christa Beall Diefenbach, executive director of Friends of the Domes (FOD) since 2021, outlined FOD’s proposal at a public hearing on Oct. 19 in the Domes’ lobby. Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez (District 12) initiated and co-hosted the town hall event. Martinez represents the district that includes Mitchell Park. He said he especially wanted to hear from his constituents. Despite stormy weather, a substantial crowd turned out. 

Attendees, speaking in both Spanish and English, expressed strong appreciation for the Domes and the park, and called for revitalizing both. Ellen Wilkinson, an administrator at a high school in the neighborhood, said that restoring the Domes and park was “an equity issue.”

Beall Diefenbach said that FOD’s board unanimously adopted the vision plan, which incorporates many recommendations adopted by the Domes Task Force in 2019. She also said that the group has also analyzed all the available studies and reports about the Domes and the historic park going back 20-some years. Many of those documents are now posted on a Milwaukee County website, https://www.thefutureofmitchellpark.com/

Key features of the plan include repairing the Domes’ structures and reconfiguring some spaces now used for admissions, education, retail sales and the lobby. The program also summarized its report to the county board on costs of various options for addressing the Domes.

Beall Diefenbach began her bilingual slide presentation by emphasizing that “everyone wants a viable solution” that will restore and preserve the Domes and the park. She cited the “tremendous goodwill in the community” for the Domes. She said that experiences within the Domes have generated positive memories for several generations of people, and that they serve as a place of civic pride. She said the Domes also play a significant role in meeting the urgent need for environmental education. These and other factors will contribute to the capital project’s “fundability,” she said.

Friends of the Shepherd

Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly magazine.

LEARN MORE

Reconfiguring Space Within the Domes’ Facility

The proposed plan would address the conservatory’s “physical limitations, revitalize Mitchell Park, [and] support a business model that is sustainable.” Specifically, the project goals would make the conservatory ADA-compliant, replace an outdated HVAC system, and modernize the structure in other ways to address “energy inefficiencies.” 

Beall Diefenbach said that the project would restore the Domes structures and thus fix leakage issues within the beehive-shaped glass structures, the cause of structural problems. The building’s public entrance would be relocated to the Domes Annex, to remove bottlenecks during peak admission times. The gift shop would be moved to a larger room within the building (now used for education), increasing its footprint by 400 percent. A boutique café would be added to serve visitors. Additionally, a new on-site building would house education facilities and office space. 

All of the changes would help to increase revenue through increased admissions, events, educational activities and retail sales. Beall Diefenbach said that the addition of on-site food-service options would increase the appeal of the Domes as a destination. In 2022, the Domes welcomed 200,000 visitors. The Friends of the Domes has doubled its membership during the past two years to 5,000 members. 

As part of the planning process, Milwaukee County Parks will reportedly update its longtime partnership with the Friends of the Domes. Among FOD goals are “to ensure sufficient resources for marketing” of the unique-in-the-world attraction. The Domes have been designated as a Milwaukee County Historic Landmark since 1981. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Domes a “National Treasure” in 2019. That national nonprofit organization has been working with the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance to help foster a preservation solution for the Domes.

The plan would rely on community philanthropy matched by funding from Milwaukee County. FOD would drive exploration of state and federal Historic Tax Credits, and other potential grants. Next steps include developing more detailed financial figures and a phasing schedule. 

Improvements Planned for Mitchell Park 

Martinez also announced that he and other supervisors have requested funding within the 2024 county budget for maintenance and improvements within Mitchell Park. Specifically, $200,000 would fund maintenance to the park’s historic lagoon, including the removal of downed trees and other debris. Another $200,000 would fund LED lighting within the park. Guy Smith, director of Milwaukee County Parks, said that the rentable pavilion within the park would also be repainted next year. It is popular for various types of gatherings including quinceanera parties. Smith called the Domes a “beloved cultural landmark.” 

Milwaukee’s Near South Side ranks as one of the city’s most densely populated communities, with a high ratio of children. Mitchell Park, which comprises 62 acres, is the only significant public green space within what is called the Clarke Square Neighborhood. Beall Diefenbach said that “current security concerns in the park” are a challenge. Investments in the park would be designed based on “community interest,” she said,

Neighbors & Others Support Restoring the Domes

The town hall meeting was held following a presentation at a county board parks committee hearing in which cost estimates for various options for addressing the Domes were presented.

Milwaukee resident Joselia Mendiolea was among those who spoke at the hearing about the importance of the Domes to her and her family. An architect at Engberg Anderson Architects and board member of Milwaukee Preservation Alliance, Mendiolea said she believed that the Domes could and must be restored. “I would like to see them serve as a model for how to sustainably update a mid-century modern structure. The Domes are not the only mid-century building facing such challenges.” Mendiolea also said that when her mother visits from Mexico, she always wants to go to the Domes, “because being among the plants and the warmth makes her feel at home.”

A recent survey conducted by Milwaukee County Parks and Friends of the Domes asked for people to choose their top three “concerns” for the Domes. Parks officials reported that 80 percent listed “Preservation of the physical Domes and their unique architecture, 68 percent cited “The survival of the unique plant collection,” and 57 percent said “Maintaining a source for memorable experience and education.”

Following the meeting, Sup. Sheldon Wasserman, who also served on the panel, wrote in his newsletter, “Final decisions have not been made yet on the future of the Domes, but we now have a possible road map to move us forward. In consultation with the Friends of the Domes, a three-prong funding strategy is currently being considered.”